In-feed conveyors for rock and aggregate processing equipment, such as crushers, are typically configured to be in line, such that they transport material to be crushed from a first end of the crusher and deposit the material in the crusher for size reduction. The crushed material is then deposited on a discharge conveyor that extends out a second end of the crusher by way of a discharge conveyor. Where the crushers are adapted for mobile transport, such as being track mounted or wheel mounted, the discharge conveyor is typically located between the tracks or wheels and extends outward from the second side in a generally parallel manner with the tracks or wheels. Such in-line configurations may be appropriate for open circuit processing situations, but is not well suited for closed circuit processing operations.
Closed circuit processing operations may include situations where another piece of aggregate processing equipment, such as a screen unit, is in material communication with the crushing unit such that the screen plant feeds the crusher with its top deck-overs, which are deposited onto the in-line crusher feed conveyor. The crusher then crushes the material and deposits it on the discharge conveyor that conveys the material out the second end of the crusher. Through a series of conveyors, the discharge is then routed back to the screen plant for further processing. Because of the in-line configuration, one or more additional conveyors is required to be able to reroute the discharge from the discharge conveyor back to the screen in-feed conveyor. This is not only a cost increase for a closed circuit system, but it also requires additional processing equipment which can be cumbersome and require more time to setup and teardown the plant for moving purposes.